Education Act 1997

44 Schools and other institutions to co-operate with careers advisers

(1) Where a careers adviser has responsibilities in relation to persons attending an educational institution to which this section applies, he shall on request be provided with—

(a) the name and address of every relevant pupil or student at the institution; and

(b) any information in the institution’s possession about any such pupil or student which the careers adviser needs in order to be able to provide him with advice and guidance on decisions about his career or with other information relevant to such decisions.

(2) If the registered address of a parent of any such pupil is different from the pupil’s registered address, subsection (1)(a) requires the parent’s address to be provided as well.

(3) Paragraph (a) or (as the case may be) paragraph (b) of subsection (1) does not, however, apply to any pupil or student to the extent that—

(a) (where he is under the age of 18) a parent of his, or

(b) (where he has attained that age) he himself,

has indicated that any information falling within that paragraph should not be provided to the careers adviser.

(4) Where a careers adviser has responsibilities in relation to persons attending an educational institution to which this section applies, he shall on request be permitted to have, in the case of any relevant pupil or student specified by him, access to that person—

(a) on the institution’s premises, and

(b) at a reasonable time agreed by or on behalf of the head teacher, principal or other head of the institution,

for the purpose of enabling him to provide that person with advice and guidance on decisions about his career and with any other information relevant to such decisions.

(5) Such access shall include an opportunity for the careers adviser to interview that person about his career, if he agrees to be so interviewed.

(6) Where a careers adviser has responsibilities in relation to persons attending an educational institution to which this section applies, he shall on request be permitted to have, in the case of any group of relevant pupils or students specified by him, access—

(a) to that group of persons in the manner specified in subsection (4)(a) and (b), and

(b) to such of the institution’s facilities as can conveniently be made available for his use,

for the purpose of enabling him to provide those persons with group sessions on any matters relating to careers or to advice or guidance about careers.

(7) Any request made for the purposes of subsection (1), (4) or (6) must be made in writing to the head teacher, principal or other head of the institution in question.

(8) This section applies to—

(a) the schools listed in section 43(2)(a) to (d); and

(b) institutions within the further education sector.

(9) It is the duty of each of the following to secure that subsections (1), (4) and (6) are complied with, namely—

(a) in the case of a school falling within section 43(2)(a) to (c) or an institution within the further education sector, the governing body of the school or institution and its head teacher, principal or other head, and

(b) in the case of a school falling within section 43(2)(d), the proprietors of the school and its head teacher;

and section 43(4) shall apply in relation to that duty as it applies in relation to the duty imposed by section 43(3).

(10) For the purposes of this section—

(a) a pupil at a school is a relevant pupil—

(i) at any time during the period which is the relevant phase of his education for the purposes of section 43, or

(ii) if he is over compulsory school age and receiving secondary education; and

(b) a person is a relevant student at an institution within the further education sector if he is receiving at the institution either—

(i) full-time education, or

(ii) part-time education of a description commonly undergone by persons in order to fit them for employment.

(11) For the purposes of this section—

(a) “careers adviser” means a person who is employed by a body providing services in pursuance of arrangements made or directions given under section 10 of the [1973 c. 35.] Employment and Training Act 1973 and who is acting, in the course of his employment by that body, for the purposes of the provision of any such services; and

(b) a careers adviser has responsibilities for any persons if his employment by that body includes the provision of any such services for them.

(12) In this section “career” has the same meaning as in section 43.